Q. I am an art librarian at a major university who has successfully acquired collections. I’ve recently discovered that I am good at asking for money from donors. I recently attended an Association of Fundraising Professionals conference and felt as though I fit in. I think I’m ready to move into fund raising full time, and am wondering: Would it be better for me to build on the area I’m already in (fund raising for libraries) or seek a position at a museum or cultural group? In addition, I’m a person of color, and would appreciate any advice you can give about dealing with the glass ceiling in the fund-raising field.
A. Whether it is better for you to start your career as a full-time fund raiser for libraries, museums, or some other cultural groups really depends on where your passion is, says Susan Avila, vice president of advancement at the California College of the Arts, in San Francisco.
“Development officers articulate the mission and ambition of an organization, and you’ll be most effective where the program inspires you,” she says.
The skills that you’ve picked up as a fund raiser at the university art library will certainly be transferable if you decide you want to work at a museum. Says Ms. Avila: “When I was director of development at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, I hired fund raisers with a variety of nonprofit backgrounds. It was much more important to me that they could speak and write effectively about the museum’s programs, than where they were previously employed.”
Paulette Maehara, president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, in Alexandria, Va., agrees that you shouldn’t have any problem transferring your skills, should you choose to.
“The techniques of fund raising -- direct mail, major gifts, etc. -- stay the same no matter what type of organization you work for,” she says. “Given that art libraries and museums are, in a sense, both ‘fine arts,’ I would think the transition would be simple for you.”
Ms. Maehara says that your race will be helpful. “Many organizations would love to have a more diverse staff, and there are very few minorities in the fund-raising profession right now,” she says. Indeed, just 8 percent of Association of Fundraising Professionals members classify themselves as “non-Caucasian.” And those who are in the profession tend to work for race-specific type organizations, such as black colleges or charities that focus on Hispanics, says Ms. Maehara. Attracting more minorities to fund raising, especially for more mainstream charities, has been a challenge and goal of her organization for years, she says. “So,” she says, “I would say you can probably write your own ticket.”